Why do they bother having sommelier?

[HSTeacher1]

On 1/8/2020 at 4:01 PM, ClaudiaB said:

The best sommelier we have ever had on land or sea is Maggie, and she was in Luminae on Equinox.   She was amazing.  I'm sorry your experience was less than excellent.   We don't eat in the MDR anymore but if we did we'd probably just pick a wine ourselves and order it.  

We had Maggie in Luminae last summer.  She was incredible!  After the first day she didn't even ask us what we wanted, just what we had ordered, then brought us wine.  It was always good, and usually excellent.  A couple times she new before I did when I tried a wine that it wasn't my favorite and quickly replaced it with something else.

 

I believe she and he husband have lefty Celebrity, but she was incredible!

 

 

[Wisteria101958]

Dennis on the Equinox was lovely, knowledgeable and attentive.

[George C]

We are almost never impressed with any sommeliers , we drink wine often and know what we like ,normally a Napa Cabernet possibly a Chianti Classico.

[davekathy]

As long as our glasses always have our choice of wine in them I don't care who pours it. Leave the bottle and I'll pour our own wine. 

[dadofjessie]

We have been away from Celebrity for a white and doing our cruising mainly on Princess and RCL who do not wine stewards.  Our next cruise will be back on the Reflection and I am looking forward the MDR and get the wine steward recommendations, etc.  My experience with the wine steward has always bee a VERY positive one.  While I agree that there are two few and the few that are there are over worked, they have been helpful making suggestions that have been very good even to the point of making a suggestion of a wine that is not on the package list but that is covered by the premium plan or only a few dollars more.

 

[drakes2]

51 minutes ago, George C said:

We are almost never impressed with any sommeliers , we drink wine often and know what we like ,normally a Napa Cabernet possibly a Chianti Classico.

I also do not require the services of a sommelier. I know a fair bit about pairings, wines, etc just from watching some wine shows and online wine courses many of them offered free of charge. 

[davekathy]

8 minutes ago, drakes2 said:

I also do not require the services of a sommelier. I know a fair bit about pairings, wines, etc just from watching some wine shows and online wine courses many of them offered free of charge. 

For us, the best wine is the wine we like and prefer to drink. 

[George C]

1 hour ago, davekathy said:

For us, the best wine is the wine we like and prefer to drink. 

We had a nice Cabernet that we brought with us either Silverado or Stags leap sommelier asked if he could taste it , glad I agreed since they skipped the corkage this was in luminae, we did have a nice conversation with him. 

[Moby Jones]

Another thumbs up for Maggie here. She was in Luminae on a couple of our Eclipse and Summit sailings. 

Our last 'sommelier' in Blu onboard Connie last October recommended a cabernet sauvignon to go with the halibut I had ordered.... He was very pleasant so I just chose to keep my mouth shut and made a sensible choice myself. 

Celebrity would do well to improve their sommelier training plan, assuming they do indeed have one? The real issue I think is that true qualified sommeliers are quite well remunerated and I don't think cruise ships would offer a competitive salary so we're stuck with waiters and waitresses in a different uniform that know the difference between red and white but sometimes not that much more. 

[chemmo]

We dine mainly in the speciality restaurants. Our last cruise on Equinox was by far our best experience for wines paired with our meal choices. We had started asking for this on Eclipse a year or so ago after a few years of ‘choosing our own’ and invariably sticking with wines ‘we had tried and trusted’....Our Eclipse experiences was good but on Equinox the sommeliers in both Murano’s and Tuscan really tried to both match wines to our meals and extend our experience/choices.

 

I do think that the wine waiters/sommeliers in the MDR have a hard life...lots of guests to please, little time to allocate to each guest, usually limited knowledge but wanting each guest to feel really catered to. Our expectation of a more ‘personalised’ service does depend on the venue we are in...We expect good service (never an empty glass and a palatable wine) in the MDR but more of a conversation we equate with the speciality venues.

 

 

 

[drakes2]

42 minutes ago, Moby Jones said:

Another thumbs up for Maggie here. She was in Luminae on a couple of our Eclipse and Summit sailings. 

Our last 'sommelier' in Blu onboard Connie last October recommended a cabernet sauvignon to go with the halibut I had ordered.... He was very pleasant so I just chose to keep my mouth shut and made a sensible choice myself. 

Celebrity would do well to improve their sommelier training plan, assuming they do indeed have one? The real issue I think is that true qualified sommeliers are quite well remunerated and I don't think cruise ships would offer a competitive salary so we're stuck with waiters and waitresses in a different uniform that know the difference between red and white but sometimes not that much more. 

The sommelier or so he called himself we had when we took the world wine tour in Cellar masters said he just learns about wines from the guests. 

[PSULion101]

One of the primary reasons we moved (and have stayed) with Celebrity is the experience we’ve had with great sommeliers on X.  We have had nothing but a great experience with them, and have been introduced to many great wines, at their suggestion, as a result, that we continue to get at home.  Please don’t let Celebrity even think about eliminating them from the experience!

[sonnycruises]

On 1/8/2020 at 1:51 PM, Want2Cruise 701 said:

 

 

Another vote for Maggie.  She is excellent, knowledgeable and will go above and beyond to find you something.  We had her in Luminae once on Eclipse.

Another thumbs up for Maggie. Totally outstanding!

[WrittenOnYourHeart]

10 hours ago, davekathy said:

For us, the best wine is the wine we like and prefer to drink. 

This. I do not worry about “pairings” - I drink what I like. 

[Moby Jones]

5 hours ago, WrittenOnYourHeart said:

This. I do not worry about “pairings” - I drink what I like. 

 

I drink what I like too. I love drinking various wines including full bodied Aussie shiraz. 

I'd worry if someone paired me with this and shellfish though as I'd not be able to taste the food properly! 

There are reasons why there are many classic pairings out there. :) 

[WrittenOnYourHeart]

9 minutes ago, Moby Jones said:

 

I drink what I like too. I love drinking various wines including full bodied Aussie shiraz. 

I'd worry if someone paired me with this and shellfish though as I'd not be able to taste the food properly! 

There are reasons why there are many classic pairings out there. 🙂

I’m also not a foodie and tend to avoid seafood of any type, so...

 

Guess I’m just too stupid for wine and cruises. Still love them both though (well, reds or sparklings - non-sparkling whites I find disgusting, and yes, I have tried many in tastings...all gross).

Edited January 11, 2020 by WrittenOnYourHeart

[Moby Jones]

1 minute ago, WrittenOnYourHeart said:

I’m also not a foodie and tend to avoid seafood of any type, so...

 

Guess I’m just too stupid for wine and cruises. Still love them both though.

 

Seafood is just one example. There's many where the taste of the food or the wine would be ruined is badly matched. 

I don't think your last sentence is at all relevant to the discussion though. 

[WrittenOnYourHeart]

Just now, Moby Jones said:

 

Seafood is just one example. There's many where the taste of the food or the wine would be ruined is badly matched. 

I don't think your last sentence is at all relevant to the discussion though. 

Well, it’s all about “needing” people to pair wines and food, right? And there not being “enough of them”.

 

Since I don’t bother with that - and my food still tastes fine to me - I’m clearly not doing it “right” according to people who insist it must be done that way and should have someone hold my hand so I do better and don’t look stupid and get laughed at.

[Moby Jones]

1 minute ago, WrittenOnYourHeart said:

Well, it’s all about “needing” people to pair wines and food, right? And there not being “enough of them”.

 

Since I don’t bother with that - and my food still tastes fine to me - I’m clearly not doing it “right” according to people who insist it must be done that way and should have someone hold my hand so I do better and don’t look stupid and get laughed at.

 

Hey, if you get it you get it, if not, it's of no concern to anyone else. They'll all be enjoying themselves too much to care. 😉

[dogs4fun]

On 1/8/2020 at 2:44 PM, hancock said:

Is it a sommelier or a wine steward?  There is a big difference between the two.  A sommelier has gone through major training and is allowed to wear the elaborate chain with the wine tasting cup . A wine steward doesn't have that training.

I was wondering the same and suspected a wind steward rather than a sommelier.

[chemmo]

1 hour ago, WrittenOnYourHeart said:

Well, it’s all about “needing” people to pair wines and food, right? And there not being “enough of them”.

 

Since I don’t bother with that - and my food still tastes fine to me - I’m clearly not doing it “right” according to people who insist it must be done that way and should have someone hold my hand so I do better and don’t look stupid and get laughed at.

 

No right way, no wrong way just what suits you. Friends of ours drink Decoy on every cruise with every meal that is what suits them. They are happy that is all that matters.

 

I am very inexperienced with wine and don’t mind admitting it.  I will happily ask for advice from the sommeliers and I have asked for wines that Cruise Critic contributors have recommended too. I have never felt stupid asking for advice and I think the sommeliers/wine waiters like to enrich the experience of the guests rather than laugh at them.

 

My only concern in the MDR is that occasionally you will get a guest that can be very demanding in the time they expect the sommeliers/wine waiters to spend with them which can then impact on other guests having empty glasses....

 

If you are happy choosing yourself then that is great, we choose ourselves at home in the supermarket every Friday...On our holidays we enjoy experimenting a bit more and are happy to have someone to help us.

[davekathy]

3 hours ago, WrittenOnYourHeart said:

Well, it’s all about “needing” people to pair wines and food, right? And there not being “enough of them”.

 

Since I don’t bother with that - and my food still tastes fine to me - I’m clearly not doing it “right” according to people who insist it must be done that way and should have someone hold my hand so I do better and don’t look stupid and get laughed at.

 

3 hours ago, WrittenOnYourHeart said:

I’m also not a foodie and tend to avoid seafood of any type, so...

 

Guess I’m just too stupid for wine and cruises. Still love them both though (well, reds or sparklings - non-sparkling whites I find disgusting, and yes, I have tried many in tastings...all gross).

Agree. All personal preference.  It doesn't matter if it's wine or food. Even when the waiter tells us about the chefs recommendations  the evening meal, we'll listen, thank him/her for the recommendation and then order what we want. 

[drakes2]

2 hours ago, davekathy said:

 

Agree. All personal preference.  It doesn't matter if it's wine or food. Even when the waiter tells us about the chefs recommendations  the evening meal, we'll listen, thank him/her for the recommendation and then order what we want. 

I do the same and then order 3 or 4 appetizers.

[Justalone]

I have not taken a cruise yet, but considering Celebrity or Oceania.

I like Chardonnay with red meat.   Will the sommelier or wine steward look down at me ,  if I order white wine with a nice steak?  

Are the prices for wine reasonable on Celebrity?  I usually cannot finish a full bottle at dinner.  Maybe only half.  

Can I bring the rest of bottle back to my stateroom for later consumption?

Thank you.

Edited January 11, 2020 by Justalone

[George C]

1 minute ago, Justalone said:

I have not taken a cruise yet, but considering Celebrity or Oceania.

I like Chardonnay with red meat.   Will the sommelier or wine steward look down at me ,  if I order white wine with a nice steak?  

Are the prices for wine reasonable on Celebrity?  I usually cannot finish a full bottle at dinner.  Maybe only half.  

Can I bring the rest of bottle back to my stateroom for consumption  later?

Thank you.

You will be fine , I normally drink red wine with fish , no problem bringing back bottle of wine to cabin but might want to just leave it and finish it next night in dinning room.